Girth.



PATENTED MAR. 3, 1903'.V

J'. WRIGHT..

GIRTH.4 APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WRIGHT, OF LANCASTER, WISCONSIN.

GlRTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part-of Letters Patent No. 721,769, dated March 3, 1903.

application filed July 31, 1902. Serial No. 117,889. (No model.)

more particularly to that class employed in holding saddles and the like upon animals.

t is a Well-known fact that many horses while being saddled have a habit of maintaining their bodies in expanded or distended condition during the tightening of the girths, so that after this operation is com pleted and they assume their normal conditions said girths are extremely loose, thereby permitting the slipping of the saddles.

It is the primary object of this invention to overcome the above-noted objectionable feature by providing a structure which will allow the contraction or expansion of such beasts of burden Without materially affecting the tantness of the bands or girths. It also prevents those sores upon the animals which arise from the use of unyielding girths.-

The preferredform of vconstruction is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification; but it will be seen upon an inspection of the claims hereto appended that the structure is open to various changes and modifications.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a portion of a saddle-girth constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the same. Fig. 3 isa detail sectional view,

on an enlarged scale, of the yielding element or section. Fig. 4=`is a cross-sectional view through the same. Fig. 5 is a cross-section through the body-plate, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the extensible holding-arm.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment of the invention, as shown, the girth is formed of sectionsnamely, an intermediate body-plate 10 and end straps ll-which are connected to a saddle in any desired manner. The body-plate 10 is preferably, though not necessarily, formed of a single sheet of fiat-faced metal that will yield sufficiently to conform to the shape of the animals body and has on its opposite side edges downturned flanges 12, which are preferably curved, as shown in Fig. 5, to constitute a blunt surface that Will not injure the animal. This plate may be lined, if desired, with textile material 13, which passes about the ends of said plate and has its terminals letsecured beneath lips 15, struck from the plate and bent over the same, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. vThe ends of the plate are doubled to form eyes 16, in one of which is arranged a loop 17, to which one of the straps 11 is fastened. A yielding resistance element (designated as a whole by the reference-numeral 18) connects the other strap 11 with the opposite end of the plate, this element being preferably constructed as follows:

A rigid frame is employed, preferably in the form of a loop having converging side arms 19, connected by a cross-piece 20, which passes through4 the eye 16 of the body-plate. The side arms 19 have inturned iianges 20a, forming therebetween guideways 21, which are thus located in the inner opposing faces of said arms. An extensible cross-bar 22 eX- tends across the space between and is slidably associated with the side arms 19. This crossbar consists of telescopin g sections-namely, an intermediate sleeve 23 and end sections 24, which are slidably arranged within the sleeve and project from the opposite ends of the same, said end sections having reduced terminals 25, which slidably engage in the guideways 22 of the side arms. A coiled spring 26 is housed within the several sections and bears against the ends, thereby forcing them apart and maintaining their engagement in the guideways. This pressure upon the convergent side arms forces the extensible cross-bar toward the larger end of the loop. The crossbar is suitably fastened to the adjacent strap 11, preferably by looping said strap about the same, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

It will be apparent that When this girth is cinched or tightened the cross-bar'will be drawn toward the outer end of the frame, and consequently the end sections thereof will be moved into the sleeve, thus compressing the spring. Should the yanimal have expanded its body, it will be apparent that when it again contracts the pressure of the coiled spring will cause the cross-bar to move to- IOO ward the body-plate, and thus take up any slack in the girth. Furthermore, this crossbar will allow for the necessary movement of the body and prevent to a great extent any chafing. The spring is entirely housed, and thus protected from injury, and the parts are so arranged that there will be no portions bearing against the animal that will injure said animal. It will also be observed that because of the arrangement of the spring mechanism an equal resistance is imparted to both ends of the cross-bar. I

From the foregoing it is thought that the constrnction,operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art Without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion,and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit 0r sacrilicing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secu re by Letters Patent, is

1. In a girth, a body-band comprising sections, and a resistance element connecting the sections, said element comprising a frame se- 'cured to one section, a crossbar slidably mounted on the frame, and spring mechanism olering a yielding resistance to the movement of the bar, said resistance being imparted equally to both ends of the bar.

2. In a girth, a body-band comprising sections, a frame secured to one section and having side arms, a cross-bar secured to the other section and having its ends slidably engaging the side arms of the frame, and resistance mechanism associated with said barand imparting equal resistance to both ends of said bar.

3. In a girth, a body-band comprising separate sections, a frame-loop secured to one section and having guideways in its opposing inner faces, a cross-bar secured to the other section and having its ends slidably engagingin the guideways of the frame-loop, and a spring imparting an equal resistance to the ends of the bar to prevent the movement thereof.

4. In a structure of the class described, a frame having converging side arms, and an extensible cross bar extending across the space between and engaging the side arms.

5. In a structure of the class described, a frame having converging side arms, and an extensible cross bar extending across the space between and engaging the side arms, said bar comprising slidably-associated sections and a spring engaging the sections to force them apart.

6. In a structure of the class described, a frame having converging side arms, and an extensible cross bar extending across the space between and engaging the side arms, said bar comprising slidably-associated telescoping sections, and a spring arranged within and engaging the sections toforce them apart.

'7. In a structure of the class described, a. frame having converging side arms which are provided with guideways in their opposing faces, and an extensible cross-bar extending across the space between and engaging the side arms, said bar comprising an intermedi ate sleeve section, end sections slidably mounted in the sleeve-section and engaging in the guidewaysv of the arms, and a spring arranged within the sleeve and engaging the end sections to force them apart.

8. In a girth, a band including a metallic body-plate, a frame-loop pivoted to one end of the plate and having spaced side bars, a cross-bar slidably mounted upon the side bars, resistance spring mechanism coacting with the cross-bar, and astrap surrounding the cross-bar and constituting a part of the band.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH WRIGHT.

lVitnesses:

L. G. HICKOK, LoU FISCHER. 

